Luigi’s Mansion 3 is, weirdly, set in a large hotel. Each floor of this hotel is a differently themed level, some more ordinary than others. For example, early floors feature kitchens and hotel rooms, while later floors feature deserts and pirate ships. But the best floor and level in Luigi’s Mansion 3 is one where you actually help a ghost and even get the chance to spare him and not capture him.
The level is Paranormal Productions and it is found on the 8th floor of the hotel. Paranormal Productions is a film studio that is, for some odd reason, located inside a ghost hotel. Best not to think about it. But the moment you get off the elevator, the level feels different. Luigi is surrounded by movie posters, TVs, cameras and other film-related items.
You can even spot a poster for Punch-Out! and a poster for a movie based on Super Mario Strikers, that soccer game featuring Mario and friends. (Hint: Break the poster featuring Punch-Out! to find a fun Easter egg.)
But once you get past the front lobby, you actually find a working film studio in the back area. It has five different lots, each with different sets.
In the middle of all this is a crying film director who also happens to be a ghost.
This is Morty and unlike other ghost bosses in the game, Morty doesn’t attack you or steal anything from you. He just cries about his missing red megaphone. Luigi feels bad and decides to help Morty. To help, Luigi has to visit each film set, grabbing different elements, like a torch, to eventually solve the main puzzle and return the megaphone to Morty.
Each of these sets feels and looks different. One set is a city street on fire. Another set is a creepy haunted well, complete with an evil ghost animatronic that pops out. To complete the puzzles in each set, Luigi must film Gooigi. Through the camera, the green screens and cameras disappear and you instead see a finished set, complete with visual effects, attacking ghosts and music. Gooigi isn’t the most charismatic actor, but he gets the job done.
Eventually, after solving all the puzzles and filming all your shots, Luigi and Gooigi return the megaphone to Morty. He is so happy and believes that Luigi is a star! He opens a door to a new set, this one featuring a small city. And then the best boss fight in the game happens. Luigi and Gooigi team up to fight a ghost wearing a monster suit. The whole level feels like a love letter to Godzilla movies from back in the day, complete with a suit that falls apart as the fight progresses.
Once you defeat the ghost inside the suit, Morty the director is so happy with the fight and scene, he gives Luigi the key to the next level of the hotel. No fight needed. He loves Luigi and is grateful for his help. He then goes to his editing room to edit his film. Luigi even celebrates that he is a star now.
All of this makes the next thing that happens really awful.
You can now leave this level, letting the director edit his film and enjoy his work. Which is what I assume some players did. But I didn’t do this. I instead decided to check in on the director and realized he had HP numbers floating above his head. I could suck him up using my vacuum pack. So I did that. The moment you start sucking him into the pack, he grabs on the editing table, desperate to finish his film. A few seconds later he was gone. Instead of the usual celebration dance that Luigi does when vanquishing a ghost, he just sadly lifted his fist for a moment. He felt terrible about what he had just done and you know what, I did too.
I regret sucking up that ghost. Morty, I’m sorry. You were a great part of what is easily my favorite level in Luigi’s Mansion 3. You deserved to be spared the vacuum. I hope others don’t make my mistake.
This choice, to spare or capture Morty, is just another reason why I love floor 8, Paranormal Productions. It’s the only level in the entire game that presents Luigi with a moral decision. I failed it, but I did get an in-game award for grabbing him. So maybe it was all worth it?